Conduit electric railway



(No Model.)

H. D. OLER. GONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY. No. 504,847. Patented Sept. 12,1893.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH M I 7% 1% yfizzw 2% w/wz m ATTOHNEYJI UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

HENRY D. OLER, OF PATERSON, NETV JERSEY.

CONDUIT ELECTRIC RAlLWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 504,847, datedSeptember 12,1893.

Applicationfiled August 23, 1892. Serial No. 4%,902. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY D. OLER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Conduits forElectric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in conduits for electricrailways: and the object of my invention is to provide a conduit whichis simple in construction, strong and durable, and in which theconductors are thoroughly insulated and so arranged that under nocircumstances can any current pass from the same except through thedevices on the car.

Ihe invention consists in a conduit formed with a wooden bottom andcurved wooden sides,between the upper edges of which a slot is formed, ametal covering for said conduit, which covering is provided with flangesat the bottom edges and metal strips placed upon the sleepers atright-angles to the same, upon which strips the flanges of the conduitcovering rest.

The invention further consists in the comhination with a conduit, ofelectric conductors having wedge shape and secured to the sides of thesame, and a rod passing through the slot of the conduit and providedwith arms on the end on which rollers are mounted from which conductorslead to the car.

The invention also consists in the construction and combination of partsand details which will be fully described hereinafter and finallypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transversesectional'view of my improved conduit for electric railways. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the sleepers and the bed rails. Fig. 8 is a plan view ofthe contact rollers, and Fig.4 is a plan-view of the same, showing amodified arrangement.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The sleepers A are to be arranged a greater or less distance below thepavement and the rails for the car.

Upon the sleepers A two parallel strips of metal B are placed at rightangles to said sleepers, and between the same a floor 0 is laid ofwooden planks. At the side edges of said door the curved side walls Dare built of wooden planks, and between the upper ends of the same theslot E is formed. On the outer surface of said side walls D a protectivecovering F of sheet metal is placed, which is provided at the lower endwith the flange G, said flanges resting on the strips B. Spikes or nailsare driven through the flanges G and strips B in the sleepers A, for thepurpose of holding the parts in place, and said protective covering F issuitably fastened in the side walls D. Aslot H is formed in the floor 0,through which slot moisture can pass into the gutter I below thesleepers. To the inner surface of each side wall D a wedge shapedconductor K is fastened near the upper end of said side wall, andbetween said conductor and the side wall a layer L of insulatingmaterial is placed, said insulating material preferably consisting of amixture of ground glass and rubber. A lever M is pivoted to a standard Mprojecting downward from the car floor M and is pulled upward by aspring N attached to said lever and to the car floor. To the lower endof said lever a rod 0 is pivoted, which carries a roller 0 at its lowerforked end, said rod 0 passing through the slot E, and to the same awooden block P is fastened, which extends in the direction of the lengthof the slot, and from the same two telescoping arms Q project inopposite directions, and on the end of each arm a metal disk R ismounted to rotate horizontally. From said disks R the wires a lead upthrough a bore in the rod 0 and up to the car. As shown in Fig. 4, therods Q, instead of extending transversely, may extend longitudinally andhave bends at the ends, and the disks B may be mounted to rotate in avertical plane instead of in a horizontal plane. Springs Tsurroundingthe telescoping rods Q press those sections carrying the disks outward.The spring N draws the lever M upward and keeps the rollers R in contactwith the conductors K, as the latter are wedge shaped. The currentpasses from the conductors through the disks B through the wires a tothe motor in the car. In case the spring N breaks, the rod 0 drops tothe bottom of the conduit, its roller 0 runs along said bottom withoutinjuring said rod or tearing up the bottom of the conduit.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire-to secure byLetters Patent 1. An electricconduit, constructed with a wooden bottom and wooden sides, between theupper edges of which a slot is formed, a metal covering for each side ofthe conduit, which metal covering is provided at the lower end with aflange, and metal strips fastened to the sleepers at right angles tothesame, upon which metal strips the flanges of the metal side coveringsof the conduit rest, substanon the ends of-said telescoping-arms andconductors extending from said disks to the car, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination, with a conduit, of electric conductors secured tothe sides of the same, a rod passing through the slot of the conduit,arms on said rod, disks on the ends of said arms, a lever pivoted to thecar bottom and to said rod and a spring for drawing said lever and therod upward, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that'I claim the foregoing as 30

